Metaphors and meaning An intercultural analysis of the concept of teamwork PDF

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Metaphors and meaning An intercultural analysis of the concept of teamwork...

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Metaphors and meaning: An intercultural analysis of the concept of teamwork Introduction 

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Differences in team processes/ practices across cultures may be due to different mental pictures/ definitions of teamwork o Expect differences in ease with which teams are implemented and accepted Metaphors - Mappings across conceptual domains o Our behaviour reflects our metaphorical understanding of experience o Allow to understand abstract subject matter in more familiar terms o E.g. work-team-as-sports-team metaphor o Metaphors for teamwork serve as reference points for team members

Variation in Teamwork Metaphors 

Use metaphors that have cultural currency, so that their meaning will be intersubjectively shared with those to whom we talk o Useful in clarifying our point

National Culture 

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National culture is a set of shared meanings transmitted by a set of mental programs that control responses in a given context o Explains 25-50% of variation in attitudes and social behaviour o Processing frameworks acquired in one culture persist and influence behaviour even through contextual circumstances change H1: Use of a given teamwork metaphor is likely to vary across nations People within a given country often share common values and these values can be used to distinguish one culture from another Power distance describes the degree to which inequality is accepted/ expected o Cultures low in PW minimise inequities, favour less centralisation of authority o Cultures high in PW display greater acceptance of inequality and authoritarianism H2: The higher the power distance, the more likely it is that teamwork metaphors with clear roles will be used Individualism is the degree of social connectedness among individuals o Those high in individualism view group membership as task-specific + transitory o Those low in individualism view group membership as long-term/permanent  Membership integrated into person’s life o In highly individualistic cultures, team members should be less likely to use metaphors involving broad activity scope H3: Individualism decreased the likelihood that teamwork metaphors that are broad in scope will be used

Organisational Culture 

Organisational Culture – Identifiable set of beliefs/norms shared by members of an organisation o National Culture = Source of pervasive values that guide priorities

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o Organisational Culture = Context-specific, pertaining to preferred practices Organisational cultures likely to influence members’ preferences & expectations H4: Use of given teamwork metaphor likely to vary across organisations Patterns of orientations and practices can be used to explain differences in organisational cultures Performance – Degree to which organisations emphasise achievement, service, and efficiency o Extent to which an organisation member sill define teamwork in terms of clear consequences of activity in teams H5: Organisational emphasis on performance increases the likelihood that teamwork metaphors implying clear outcomes will be used Rewards – Degree to which organisation emphasises inducements to participate and perform (e.g. remuneration, bonus, compensations, and salary) o In an organisations that emphasises rewards, team members are likely to use metaphors that imply membership as induced by rewards rather than voluntary memberships H6: Organisational emphasis on rewards decreases the likelihood that teamwork metaphors implying voluntary membership will be used implying voluntary membership will be used Degree of Control describes the extent to which people take organisational membership seriously and with reverence, degree to which members are expected to follow rules, extent to which punctuality is emphasised, degree to which punctuality is emphasised, degree to which organisation is cost-conscious o Practices should be related to teamwork concepts that contain clear role information H7: Organisational emphasis on tight control increases the likelihood that teamwork metaphors with clear roles will be used Employee orientation – Degree to which organisation decentralises decision-making, focuses on employees as people & shows concern for people beyond organisational roles o In organisations with high EO, members should use metaphors that emphasise involvement H8: The greater the organisation’s emphasis on employee orientation, the likelier it is that teamwork metaphors that are broad in scope will be used

Discussion 

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People around globe hold different definitions of teamwork, as indicated by metaphor use Metaphor conveys complex meaning best comprehended along contextual understanding o Metaphors = Tacit knowledge  Best way to gain understanding is by interacting with people with different definitions Metaphors are complex bundles of meaning that have multiple implications & need to be examined for meaning they convey in given context Cultural Contingency Theory – Managerial initiatives must be implemented in manner consistent with cultural context in which MNE is embedded o Effectives higher in MNEs that adapt teamwork metaphors across national contexts o Metaphors consist of what each member understand about teamwork

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o MNE managers cannot assume that own conceptualisation of teamwork will be shared Team members in different nations/organisational contexts likely to have different expectations for how the team will be managed Metaphor use varies across cultural settings & should be considered explicitly by managers...